Soto must surely be one of the most active rock singers around, as while this is “just” his seventh solo album, he has recorded nearly 90 as a lead singer. I have long been a fan of his music, both with bands such as Talisman and solo, and there is no doubt that this is the strongest he has released for some time. The band are Alessandro Del Vecchio (bass, keyboards, guitars, backing vocals), Fabrizio Sgattoni (guitars) and Edu Cominato (drums) with August Zadra providing backing vocals and lead guitar on “Between The Lines”, and for once this really does feel like a band as opposed to a project. This is melodic hard rock, being driven both from the back and from the front, with Jeff’s bluesy vocals right on point. He sounds like he is having a real blast in the studio, and there is no doubt that the writing partnership with Del Vecchio (Hardline, Jorn, Revolution Saints, etc) is working incredibly well.
The first three songs just rip past, each one a melodic rock belter packed with hooks, yet we always expect a ballad from Soto which appears with “Without You”. But instead of something a little weak, this is packed full of power with layered harmony vocals and great riffs and hooks. It allows Jeff to voice the emotion and show his breadth and richness, while there is still room for wailing guitars and piano. Then it is back into the driving rock, and from here until the end, all the listener can do is smile and keep turning it up that little bit more as this is an absolute delight.
But if that wasn’t enough, this comes with an additional live CD recorded at the Frontiers Rock Festival in 2019. To me the live environment is where Jeff really shines, as somehow his voice seems even richer and more powerful when on a stage and he can harness the energy of the crowd, while musically he is always that much heavier. It kicks off with “Drowning”, with riffs, hooks and great harmonies and Jeff very much in control. I was determined not to look at the track listing, as I knew there had to be a particular song on there, and I wanted to be pleasantly surprised when it arrived. The penultimate track started with drums, then Jeff lifted his voice and asked the crowd to sing “woah oh ah oh”, sang the first verse by himself, then the band kicked in for the chorus and we were off. Talisman’s “I’ll Be Waiting” has long been possibly my all-time favourite melodic rock number, and the guys nail it. Crunching guitars, pounding drums, wonderful harmonies, a crowd in fine voice, and in charge of it all JSS. It is going to be struggle as to which of these two albums to play, but I think treating the studio and live album as one entity is the correct plan. JSS is on form, and this double CD set is simply wonderful.
Rating: 9/10
